A known wall construction method comprises the use of insulated concrete forms into which concrete is poured and set. Typical insulated concrete forms comprise blocks which are abutted end to end in rows stacked on upon the other to form a vertical wall. Each block typically comprises an inner insulated wall portion and an outer insulated wall portion which are supported parallel and spaced apart from one another by webs connected therebetween. A typical material of the wall portions is polystyrene or any other similarly rigid and insulating material. When the blocks are stacked with one another the insulated wall portions at the inner and outer sides form continuous insulated walls with a cavity therebetween into which the concrete is arranged to be received.
Often it is desirable to support a veneer wall along an outer side of the main load bearing wall formed by insulated concrete forms. The veneer wall is typically supported by forming a concrete ledge at the base of the veneer wall which is often located at ground level. The concrete ledge is integral with the concrete within the cavity of the insulated concrete forms by providing an insulated concrete ledge form at the location of the concrete ledge.
One example of an insulated concrete ledge form is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,437,858 in which the form comprises a row of blocks stacked in series with the straight wall forms above and below the ledge. Each of the blocks in the insulated concrete ledge form row comprises an inner straight form wall and an outer sloped form wall with the inner and outer form walls being supported spaced apart from one another by a main concrete receiving cavity using form ties joined between the form walls similarly to the forms stacked above and below the ledge form. Typically spaced apart partitions extend inwardly from the sloped form wall at spaced apart positions corresponding to the locations of the form ties. The partitions define a plurality of spaced apart corbel cavities therebetween into which concrete corbels are formed. A longitudinal slot in the top of the partitions on the sloped form wall define a longitudinally extending rebar chair for receiving an elongate reinforcement rebar member therein. The form ties also include rebar chairs formed therein to support additional reinforcement rebar members therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,437,858 by Pfeiffer et al proposes replacing the rebar in the rebar chairs with an already assembled ladder-like structure comprising an inner and outer longitudinal rail received in the rebar chairs of the sloped form wall and the form ties respectively. A plurality of connecting arms align with the corbel cavities for connection between the inner and outer rails. Use of the reinforcement members as described requires preassembling a large awkward component which subsequently requires specific placement within the forms. The large structure is awkward to store, transport and place in the forms due to the preassembled configuration thereof.
Prior to U.S. Pat. No. 7,437,858 insulated concrete ledge forms have been known to be reinforced by locating rebar in both the rebar chair of the sloped form wall and in the form ties with the two rebar members being connected by hook shaped rebar which requires careful alignment and hooked connection with both rebar members when installed. An example of a hook shaped rebar member is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,040 by Moore Jr. In particular a hook shaped rebar form is designated by reference character 290 in FIG. 8. Placement of the hook shaped rebar requires time consuming individual placement, alignment, and typically some bending to effectively hook the rebar onto both longitudinally extending rebar members in the rebar chairs of the sloped form wall and the form ties.